Iowa Rep Steve King Tweets Racist Comment

Republican Rep. Steve King of Iowa set off a firestorm of resounding criticism with a tweet saying civilizations can’t be restored with “someone else’s babies,” a comment seen by some as indicative of racism that permeates the administration’s toughened policies on immigrants. From Republican lawmakers to immigration groups to Hispanics in his home state and Asian lawmakers in office, there was plenty of blow back for the comment and his doubling down on it in a CNN interview Monday.

Lawmakers who are immigrants or children of immigrants took the comments personally. King sent the tweet over the weekend to express support for far right Dutch politician Geert Wilders, sometimes called the Dutch Donald Trump and for his views. “Wilders understands that culture and demographics are our destiny. We can’t restore our civilization with somebody else’s babies,” King said in his tweet. He then followed up in the CNN interview saying he meant exactly what he said and criticizing immigrants who “don’t assimilate into America.” That was retweeted by David Duke, white nationals and former Imperial Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan, with the comment: “GOD BLESS STEVE KING!!” America’s Voice Education Fund, an immigrant advocacy group, issued a news release headlined: “Steve King Gives Voice to the White Nationalist Worldview at Heart of Trump Immigration Policy Agenda.”